American History 1988
Chapter 163 - 157: Los Angeles

Chapter 163: Chapter 157: Los Angeles

The earliest history of Bristane Entertainment can be traced back to the Brillstein Company, founded in 1969, which founder Bernie Brillstein named after himself.

The founder had worked at William Morris Agency (WMA), where he was the first-generation great disciple of the legendary mailroom.

Later, he went independent and established Bristane Entertainment, starting with television programs.

For instance, by trading second-tier presenters and daytime programs, they acquired clients. At the same time, they established contacts with various television stations to sell daytime programming.

In ’84, Brillstein met Brad Grey, now seated in front of Valentine, in San Francisco; the latter had previously worked as an assistant to Harvey Weinstein.

At 27, Grey, boasting his rich network of artistic contacts, successfully pitched himself to Brillstein.

Then, the new Bristane Entertainment company (BEP) was formed, he became a partner and took charge of the television program business.

After six or seven years of rapid development, 33-year-old Brad already possessed considerable decision-making power.

This time, the "David Late Night Show" on NBC was a resource he secured for Valentine.

Managing television program resources was Brad’s forte; he did business with ABC, NBC, CBS, and other networks.

"Although ’David Late Night Show’ is nominally a talk show, it still conducts interviews."

In the Beverly Hills headquarters of Bristane Entertainment in Los Angeles, Brad was introducing Dean to the flow of the "David Late Night Show."

This is where Hollywood celebrities gather, with many agencies like William Morris setting up their headquarters here.

Brad brought over the data on the host, David Letterman, casually pressing the remote in his hand, the videotape playing on the TV was footage from previous episodes of "David Late Night Show."

"Look, the entire program usually runs between 40 to 50 minutes. David is the absolute star, and he communicates with the guests through questions."

The unprepossessing host on the television screen was ridiculing the guests with sharp and harsh language, and whenever a joke landed, the guests in the audience would burst into laughter.

"Oprah... Uma. Uma... Oprah, seeing you is like seeing the Super Bowl of love~!"

David kept repeating this strange set of names, laughing to himself after he said it, while the black woman in front of him clearly looked displeased.

"Guys, this talk show host seems like a tough nut to crack," said Dean, eyes widened in surprise—because he recognized a familiar face.

The woman named Oprah who David was teasing, wasn’t she the famous Mama Oprah?

She had so many buffs stacked on her, yet host David dared to make fun of her—what was up with this talk show?

"Haha~" Brad laughed and patted Dean on the shoulder, "Buddy, scared you, huh?"

Valentine was also looking on, heartlessly amused by Dean’s plight—after all, it wasn’t him who would be going on stage.

"Alright, no more jokes," Brad paused the video and switched to another tape, "What you just saw were special occurrences on the show.

You know, Dean—these hosts usually speak without filters, so they inevitably offend sometimes."

Beyond Oprah Winfrey, the video tape featured Cher, Shirley MacLaine, Madonna—all of whom had clashed with David on the show.

Cher blasted David as an asshole, while Madonna’s response was more direct, "Fucking weirdo!" That was what she said.

"I showed you this to let you know not to get angry when similar situations arise during the show, as that wouldn’t be conducive to your promotional efforts."

Brad was aware of Dean’s purpose for appearing on the show and had also heard about the Byte Company and Bell issue; after all, Los Angeles isn’t far from San Francisco.

"So, besides these jokes, what else should I watch out for?" Dean asked, already prepared for some ribbing.

"Try to avoid politics and serious topics; this is just a comedy show, and people prefer light-hearted exchanges.

Of course, since you’re not from the entertainment industry, David won’t likely crack some over-the-top jokes with you—it’s an unspoken rule."

Entertainers’ very job is to amuse the public, so hosts usually push the limits quite far.

But it’s different for businessmen; they tend to consider personal privacy issues, and a businessman’s influence is often more direct than that of actors and singers.

However, speaking of this, Dean suddenly became curious, "Do people from the business world really participate in these comedy talk shows?"

Brad turned to Valentine with a puzzled look, and Valentine just shrugged, "I told you, he doesn’t watch much TV~"

"Ok, Dean," Brad had to explain patiently, "Guests on talk shows are not limited to the entertainment industry; politicians, sports stars, and even regular folks might appear.

For example, businessmen like that Donald from New York have appeared on ’David Late Night Show’ more than once."

"Donald?" Dean felt the name sounded somewhat familiar.

"Yeah~ that Donald who named his headquarters building after himself. But recently, he’s gotten into trouble, reportedly owing over 4 billion US dollars in debt."

From Brad’s introduction, Dean was almost certain that this Donald was the very Donald with the airplane hairstyle.

"OK, I think I’m pretty much prepared," Dean said. Although he wasn’t too fond of talk shows, he thought they could be useful for drumming up publicity for Byte company.

"Good~" Brad snapped his fingers contentedly. "Don’t be nervous, each guest’s appearance is less than ten minutes long. It won’t be too lengthy."

The "David Late Night Show" usually invites 2 to 3 guests per episode, with each guest typically appearing for a brief eight to nine minutes.

Only the really big-name superstars get segments that last ten to twenty minutes.

The rest of the show is filled with host David Letterman interacting and playing games with the live audience.

NBC is a broadcaster that reaches all of America, and although it’s a late-night talk show, it still attracts several million viewers.

However, learning that his appearance would only last a few minutes, Dean felt much more relaxed. After all, it’s best to dip a toe in on his first try.

"OK, although we don’t know the exact questions that will be asked on the show, NBC will notify us of the general areas in advance.

We’ll talk about that later. Come On~ it’s time to go, they’ll have some instructions and things to note at the studio."

The "David Late Night Show" airs from Monday to Friday, starting at 12:30 AM and finishing around 1:10 AM, truly defining the late-night slot.

The "David Late Night Show" typically records in the afternoon and broadcasts at night.

But there was a scheduling conflict at the NBC studio today, so Dean and his team needed to do a live broadcast at night.

The episode he was guesting on aired on a Friday evening, which was a good time slot since both workers and students were on break, without the pressure of getting up early the next day.

Although NBC’s headquarters are in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York, as the entertainment hub of the West Coast, Los Angeles is also America’s second-largest broadcast market, only behind New York.

Therefore, all major television networks have production and broadcast centers here, and the eight major Hollywood movie studios also have their studio lots in this location.

If judged solely on entertainment notoriety, Hollywood in Los Angeles could even surpass New York.

The place where Dean and his team were heading to record the show was located in Burbank, part of North Hollywood, where NBC’s studios resided.

It was a half-hour drive from Beverly Hills to Burbank. Dean experienced traffic congestion for the first time in America; there were just too many people here.

Like most buildings in California, the NBC administrative building wasn’t tall, only about four or five stories, with plain grey-brown exterior walls.

If it weren’t for the logo sign "The Burbank Studios" hanging on the front gate, Dean would probably think this was a coffee shop.

Brad Grey had been involved in the entertainment industry since his college days and, after a decade of hard work, was well acquainted with the rules of the Hollywood game.

After greeting the television program coordinator at NBC, he led Dean and the others into Studio 11.

"This is where you’ll be up on stage tonight, are you disappointed?" Brad saw the curious looks from Dean and the others and couldn’t help but jest.

On TV screens, talk show sets usually appear neat and comfortable. Strictly speaking in terms of decor, they could pass for the interior of a wealthy family’s home.

But if you look from the entrance of the studio, it’s a dark hall where only the far corner is lit up.

That’s the stage set for the talk show, with a chaotic mess of audio-visual equipment and staff bustling about just out of camera view.

Forklifts are moving equipment around, while cranes and lifts are adjusting lights up on the ceiling.

If you looked up, you’d notice a dense array of steel frames already equipped with rows of lights.

Direct your gaze to the front of the stage, and there you’ll find the audience seats, similar to a movie theater, holding about two to three hundred people.

Well, the glitzy talk show had indeed shed its veil of mystery. Dean shrugged, "I suddenly don’t feel so nervous."

"That’s exactly why I brought you here," Brad said with a smile and spread his hands. "OK, let’s go and rest for a bit now, there’s still some time before the show starts."

The nightlife in Burbank is quite rich; it’s located at the southwest end of the San Fernando Valley, north of Hollywood, right between the two.

Several major movie studios and television networks have production centers here, and while having a late-night snack, Dean and company could even spot a few movie stars.

Like the hot Bruce Willis, whose "Die Hard 2" was currently in theaters, was likely there for promoting his movie.

And there was Demi Moore too. Okay, this Hollywood beauty Dean also recognized. Her "Ghost" was coincidentally just about to be released.

Look at that, this is Hollywood for you. Dean would never see so many stars back in Silicon Valley.

After hurriedly finishing their late-night snack, Dean and his team did not linger outside, as there was serious business to attend to later.

Back in their designated rest area at NBC before the show officially started, host David Bryan even made a special trip to say hello.